Six Guns at Solace

by John Davage

  ‘Yeah, we got it,’ Tom said.

  Both men threw their weapons on to the porch so that they landed either side of Clay Thornton’s body. Then, careful to keep out of the line of fire, they backed off towards the corral, near to which the spooked creatures had scampered at the sound of the shooting.

  Floyd and Tom each caught one of the two saddled horses and walked them slowly across to the house.

  ‘You know he’s gonna kill the pair of us as soon as he walks out’a that door, don’t you?’ Tom whispered.

  Floyd nodded. ‘I know. Got any ideas?’

  ‘Just the one,’ Tom told him. ‘Not sure if it’s gonna work though. I used to be pretty good at it when I was a kid, but I’m kind’a out’a practice these days.’

  ‘At what?’ Floyd said.

  ‘You’ll see,’ Tom said. Then added with a grin, ‘Unless you’re dead first.’

  Eli watched as the two men walked the horses across to the railing around the porch, keeping the animals between themselves and Eli’s line of fire. He waited until both horses were loosely tethered over the rail.

  ‘Now back away!’ he yelled. ‘Slowly.’

  Tom and Floyd complied.

  ‘Lie down on the ground!’ Eli yelled through the window, then cursed as the moon went behind a large bank of cloud.

  When he could just about see through the darkness that they’d done as he’d ordered, he crossed the room and yanked Becky to her feet. ‘Let’s go,’ he told her.

  Sobbing, Becky allowed herself to be dragged across to the door, where Eli kicked away the obstruction, then shoved her out on to the porch. He checked the two men were lying on the ground, both face down, then he pushed Becky towards one of the horses.

  ‘Mount up,’ he told her. ‘An’ don’t do anythin’ stupid lessen you want a bullet through that pretty head of yours. You hear?’

  ‘Sure, Eli,’ Becky answered. ‘I . . . I hear.’

  He waited for her to get on the horse, then walked across to the two prone lawmen.

  ‘Gonna shoot us in the back, Pike?’ Tom taunted. ‘Guess that’s the way you’re used to killin’ men.’

  Eli snickered. ‘Feelin’ brave, mister? You wanna look me in the eye when you die? Suits me. Turn over, lawman!’

  It was a fatal error.

  Tom turned fast, his right hand coming from under his body – and Eli saw the glint of something long and sharp just before it hit him in the chest. He gasped and staggered, a look of astonishment, then pain spreading across his face. Somehow he managed to pull the trigger on his six-gun, but by that time, both lawmen had rolled sideways so that his bullet hit the dirt harmlessly.

  Eli sensed a swift movement as he tumbled forwards, his face creased in agony, then felt the .45 snatched from his grasp. He fell on to the knife, thrusting it deeper into his chest until the blade snapped from the handle.

  He didn’t get up. A smattering of weak, indecipherable curses came from his mouth, along with a stream of blood, before he fell silent.

  The two lawmen looked down on him.

  ‘Guess he’s cheated the hangman,’ Floyd said, grimacing.

  ‘Guess so,’ Tom agreed.

  Becky ran across to him and threw herself into the sheriff’s arms, making him wince.

  ‘There, there, it’s OK,’ Floyd told her, holding her close. ‘Everythin’s gonna be fine.’ He looked across at Tom. ‘Ain’t never seen you carryin’ a knife afore. Didn’t know you were handy with ’em, either.’

  ‘It was Morgan’s,’ Tom explained, grinning. ‘Found it in a sheath in his boot. Clay told me he always kept one there. I borrowed it, along with his coat an’ hat, an’ his horse. As to bein’ handy with knives, I used to be able to hit a playin’ card from twenty feet when I was a kid. Got kind’a rusty of late, though, so it was just as well Pike was leanin’ over me, otherwise I could’ve missed.’

  ‘Sure happy you didn’t,’ Floyd said, smiling.

  Becky had eased herself from Floyd’s arms and was looking at the body on the porch. ‘Wh . . . what are you going to tell Meg about her brother, Tom?’

  ‘The truth, I guess,’ he said. ‘That’s usually the best way.’ He looked at Floyd. ‘You were goin’ to tell me what really happened at the bank raid with Meg’s brother. Seems there’s a few more things I don’t know.’

  ‘Reckon I’ll let Meg tell you,’ Floyd said. ‘It ain’t somethin’ she’s been proud of keepin’ from you.’

  Tom shrugged. ‘It ain’t gonna change the way I feel about her,’ he said.

  Floyd and Becky exchanged a conspiratorial look. ‘That’s love for you,’ Floyd said.

  ‘Reckon it is,’ she agreed.